Members are discussing the stress levels and compensation in various nursing specialties. Some members mention that nursing is a practical means to earn a living, while others share their experiences in different nursing roles such as hospice nursing, med/surg, and occupational health nursing. There is also mention of the importance of clinical experience, finding one's niche in nursing, and managing stress through coping mechanisms and self-care.
This is my first post here so bear with me. I am a current RN student and while my main focus right now is finishing the program I am nevertheless interested in finding out more about different specialties from nurses who have been there.
I have yet to decide on a nursing specialty for sure. To be honest money is a big motivator for me..but a post I read from forum member THE COMMUTER really struck me as exaclty how I feel. It stated id rather love my personal life and tolerate my job than tolerate my life and love my job. By this I mean im never going to enjoy work, I mostly enjoy traveling, exploring , cars..etc..(hence money motivated).
So begs the question...what nursing specialty out of the seemingly hundreds...would be very low stress on a daily basis and very good pay ( even if masters level as I have considered the NP route after RN school).
Any suggestions? ( I know im kinda asking for the best of both worlds here but im looking for things closest to what I seek). Thanks in advance everyone.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Aliens05 said:
Yikes...some kind of biting replies...i guess maybe low stress is too individualized of a description..i by no means meant easy or slack off job..i meant more of a job where ur not constantly worrying, getting yelled at, or worse haha. I guess ive worked with a lott of nurses in the last 5 years and every one of them hated the hospital setting (however i realize some people do love it and its not anyrhing I've counted out at all)
You're job is to save people's lives. So you should worry somewhat at work. If not, that makes me scared. Because no nurse is that confident. If they are, they're lying. You will get yelled at or reprimanded because you are new & people make mistakes.
PDN (working 1:1) I would not suggest for any new nurse. It's easy to get in but hard to get out. Some hiring managers will assume your skills will get stale. They might, because you are doing the same thing every day. Also, it depends on your patient. If it is not a complex case, you won't get to do much. Plus it helps to have experience to pull on when something does arise. Because you are in the patient's home, by yourself & with no backup.
One thing to remember Aliens05 is that you need basic strong nursing skills to do any job that will earn you a good salary. This is the most important advice my favorite nursing instructor gave me. Most, but not all specialty areas won't consider a new nurse because they have no practiced skills and/or they haven't mastered good organization. With that being said, I would encourage you to take a floor position & get a year or two experience under your belt. Then the specialty areas will look at you seriously & have confidence that you can perform basic skills, are capable of learning new ones & you will be a safe addition to their unit. I believe a basic understanding of the body & its complexity is the only way to practice safely. I started on a cardiac step-down unit & loved the heart so much I stayed for several years! In that time I cross trained to work in the critical care unit which qualified me to train & fill in the PACU dept. I then took a full-time position in the endoscopy dept for 2 years & I'm now in the OR. These experiences make me more valuable to my hospital & I am now able to right my own ticket. I've been nursing since 2009 & have made >$100k a year for the last 3 years. That's in the Dallas TX area. Not sure what you're aiming for $ wise but my life is comfortable. So what does all that mean for you? Be a strong all around nurse & don't put yourself into a mold that holds you hostage. Be flexible, learn the basics & then write your ticket to what you love. Good luck!
One thing to remember Aliens05 is that you need basic strong nursing skills to do any job that will earn you a good salary. This is the most important advice my favorite nursing instructor gave me. Most, but not all specialty areas won't consider a new nurse because they have no practiced skills and/or they haven't mastered good organization. With that being said, I would encourage you to take a floor position & get a year or two experience under your belt. Then the specialty areas will look at you seriously & have confidence that you can perform basic skills, are capable of learning new ones & you will be a safe addition to their unit. I believe a basic understanding of the body & its complexity is the only way to practice safely. I started on a cardiac step-down unit & loved the heart so much I stayed for several years! In that time I cross trained to work in the critical care unit which qualified me to train & fill in the PACU dept. I then took a full-time position in the endoscopy dept for 2 years & I'm now in the OR. These experiences make me more valuable to my hospital & I am now able to right my own ticket. I've been nursing since 2009 & have made >$100k a year for the last 3 years. That's in the Dallas TX area. Not sure what you're aiming for $ wise but my life is comfortable. So what does all that mean for you? Be a strong all around nurse & don't put yourself into a mold that holds you hostage. Be flexible, learn the basics & then write your ticket to what you love. Good luck!
Chihuahua thanks for the reply! Thats an amazing salary ( for me im a medication aide so anything over 50 looks good to me ,closer to the 100 mark the better but obviously thats with a ton of experience of course as expected). Thanks for the details and advice.
Guess i dont remember asking for any opinions on an easy job...low stress doesnt mean easy....your job could be the most physically demanding job in the entire world..but if you are strong and know what you are doing its gonna be low stress because you are not worried or freaking out...you know what it is...you know what to expect ..say for example a person who does roofing....being in the heat all day working a physically demanding job isnt easy at all..but the guys ive talked to dont think its stressful at all because they all know exaclty what they are doing.
It was my first post. Can i get a pass?
I'll give you a pass ?
That unicorn you mention........For me it was the OR. Nurses don't get to have any quota other than one to one - it is not possible to scrub or circulate two rooms at the same time. Patients are completely dependent for you to advocate for them, and you don't have to deal with any whining either, as they are under anesthesia for most of your contact with them. Additionally, you don't have to have the family to deal with, except for phone contact hourly during long cases. The surgeons can be a handful, but you can find work arounds for the really ugly ones, either with administrations help or not. Plus..... and here is the interesting bit most RN's don't know about........ OR nurses usually earn more than their floor counterparts. Is it stressful? Yes, it can be. If you don't know your stuff it can be hell on earth, as you are alone and cannot blame anyone else. However, once you get settled in and you are confident, you can ride that unicorn for a 12 hour shift and it can be all fun, flowers and rainbows.
Most big hospitals offer a Graduate Nurse Internship program, typically 6 months paid, some require a 2 year commitment, others don't. Please consider OR as a specialty. It is one of the most overlooked nursing specialties, and one of the most in demand.
The way you are handling this crowd shows me that you have what it takes too.
And in a union environment those less physical jobs are given to those nurses that have been injured or are pre-retirement, i.e. years of seniority to get them. agree that stress is very subjective. I worked critical care most of my career and found it way less stressful than working on a nursing unit. Guess I like to know what my patient is doing at all times
Yes! Now that I'm 63 I'm doing one on one care with a little boy who is total care. I work night shift and i snack all night and watch tv. I've done everything else in nursing. Old and tired. But I wouldn't recommend it for a new nurse. You need to use those new skills and be challenged. Or why even become a nurse?
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Harveyslake said:
How the hospital could pay the same rate to the GI Lab nurses as the Trauma/Neuro ICU nurses is beyond belief!!!! Comparatively speaking, the GI lab nurses do nothing!
Let's not turn this into a specialty war, please.
For me, the OR is a mix of stressful and not stressful. There are days where my patient is coding on the table, days where we can't get the patient off of cardiopulmonary bypass and they don't make it out of surgery, days where I'm getting called at 0300 to come in and work on someone doing their darnedest to die from that gunshot wound, and then there are days where all my cases go smoothly and I get to go home on time. Do I get paid well? I'd argue about my base salary, but with all of my on call and call back hours, yeah, I make more than the average joe. Takes a toll on family and social life though.
Honestly, I think you're looking for a Holy Grail that doesn't exist.
I'm a research nurse, I generally work 8 hours shifts BUT depending on the study protocol can work 12 hours although rare. I don't work weekends or holidays as the clinic is closed these days. There is lots of reading, at any time I can am work off 5 study protocols and must know the procedures and guidelines for each and every one of them. In my opinion, any specialty can be stressful but as long as you enjoy what you're doing and have good workers than it is manageable. Do something you enjoy to do and it'll be much easier for you, good luck!
I don't know the answer to your question because higher paying jobs are more stressful jobs. The only solution is to find something that most people find to be stressful but you don't.
I have a great sense of humor, I could not have made it 35 years in nursing without it.
You found it hilarious, I did not. I was ticked that a student came onto the forum, trying to pick our brains about the easy road.
I apologize, I didn't mean to come across as snarky. However, the thought of someone who isn't a nurse yet and is asking for advise on finding "the highest pay, lowest stress nursing job" seems not hilarious "haha" to me, but hilarious in the sense that it's not realistic...and OP isn't going to find it. Hence my comment that the OP is looking for a unicorn. All nursing jobs involve stress, and it's never a predictable amount of stress. So, the OP can ask here on this forum, or anywhere but they're never going to find that unicorn. I think you have miscommunication my humour...which is fine, understandable as it's difficult to convey tone via this medium of communication. Meh, there's a lid for every pot Hope you had a nice weekend ?
OrganizedChaos, LVN
1 Article; 6,883 Posts
You're job is to save people's lives. So you should worry somewhat at work. If not, that makes me scared. Because no nurse is that confident. If they are, they're lying. You will get yelled at or reprimanded because you are new & people make mistakes.
PDN (working 1:1) I would not suggest for any new nurse. It's easy to get in but hard to get out. Some hiring managers will assume your skills will get stale. They might, because you are doing the same thing every day. Also, it depends on your patient. If it is not a complex case, you won't get to do much. Plus it helps to have experience to pull on when something does arise. Because you are in the patient's home, by yourself & with no backup.